There are many different kinds of vessels, conveyances, glasses, coolers, schooners, mugs, and cups to drink beer from. Are the differences cosmetic or is there some higher purpose? I just drank a beer in a belgian goblet and it tasted more malty than when I tried it in a pilsner glass yesterday. Which of the following statements is more likely
1) The glassware is the key factor
or
2) My palate is the key factor
Nate

To really taste a beer, it must be poured in to a glass of some sort. I think glasses, vessels...whatever you call...they all allow the aroma of the beer to waft up to your nostrils as you imbibe. Since smell and taste are so intertwined, you get a much better sense of the flavour when drinking from a glass. It is not a huge stretch for one to imagine that over the centuries of beer drinking, humans have happened upon certain vessel designs that help to highlight the aroma (and therefore flavour)of certain beer styles. Therefore, it is my conclusion that glassware does play a part in bringing out and accenting flavours.

Nate, Chris (a.k.a. Jayhawk) was right about the glass. However one of the most important things to remember is NEVER use soap to wash your drinking vessels. Soap is a beer killer. You should never put your glasses in the dishwasher either. I wash my glasses with a clean dish cloth and hot water, no soap. The cleaner the glass the less influence it will have on the beer.

The shape of the glass, or mug etc. does more to make the taste different. Just like with wines, different glasses or mugs make the beer smell, and thus taste different. My wife would rather drink right from the bottle, because she doesn't like the smell of beer. She also prefers the taste of the american mega swill brewers, but that's another story. Anyway, if you notice some of the different types of glassware for beer is design for a particular type of beer to get the right smell, or taste that was intended for the beer brewed.